Endoscopic devices and devices for introducing a medical endoscope into a body canal are described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,364. The devices described in this document permit that an endoscope is no longer pushed into the body to be examined, but moves into the body all by itself. For this purpose, the endoscope is equipped with an inherent drive which allows easier and quicker insertion.
As such an inherent drive, also a so-called everting tube can be used, for instance, with the endoscope shaft being inserted therein. Upon propulsion of the endoscope, different relative motions occur. On the one hand, a relative motion occurs between the endoscope shaft and the everting tube, which are in sliding contact with each other. On the other hand, there is also a relative motion between an inside portion and an outside portion of the unwinding everting tube.
To reduce the respectively occurring sliding friction as well as a static friction between respective elements, the use of a lubricant supplied from the outside has e.g. been suggested, for instance in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,219. In both cases, a lubricant adapted to be stored in a fluid bag is supplied between the endoscope shaft and the everting tube, on the one hand, as well as between the two everting tube portions that come to be disposed one above the other, on the other hand. For a check of the pressure of the lubricant supplied to the point of lubrication between the endoscope shaft and the everting tube, the pressure has to be detected by a pressure gauge arranged between the hydraulic fluid bag and the point of lubrication between the endoscope shaft and the everting tube.
If the endoscopic device is formed as a disposable device, use thereof is followed by disposal of all elements of the endoscopic device that might have come into contact with the body fluid of the patient examined, such as the endoscope shaft including everting tube, the fluid bag, and the pressure gauge.